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Born in [[Liverpool]], Lennon became involved in the [[Skiffle revival|skiffle craze]] as a teenager. In 1956, he formed [[the Quarrymen]], which evolved into the Beatles in 1960. Sometimes called "the smart Beatle", Lennon initially was the group's ''de facto'' leader, a role he gradually seemed to cede to McCartney. Through his songwriting in the Beatles, he embraced myriad musical influences, initially writing and co-writing rock and pop-oriented hit songs in the band's early years, then later incorporating experimental elements into his compositions in the latter half of the Beatles' career as his songs became known for their increasing innovation. Lennon soon expanded his work into other media by participating in numerous films, including ''[[How I Won the War]]'', and authoring ''[[In His Own Write]]'' and ''[[A Spaniard in the Works]]'', both collections of [[literary nonsense|nonsense writings]] and line drawings. Starting with "[[All You Need Is Love]]", his songs were adopted as anthems by the [[anti-war movement]] and the larger [[counterculture of the 1960s]]. In 1969, he started the [[Plastic Ono Band]] with his second wife, multimedia artist [[Yoko Ono]], held the two-week-long anti-war demonstration [[bed-in]] for peace, and [[Break-up of the Beatles|left the Beatles]] to embark on a solo career.
Lennon and Ono collaborated on many works, including a trilogy of [[avant-garde music|avant-garde]] albums and several more films. After the [[Break-up of the Beatles|Beatles disbanded]], Lennon released his solo debut ''[[John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band]]'' and the international top-10 singles <!-- Before adding to this list of Lennon's most significant songs, please seek consensus on the talk page first. Thank you. -->"[[Give Peace a Chance]]", "[[Instant Karma!]]", "[[Imagine (John Lennon song)|Imagine]]", and "[[Happy Xmas (War Is Over)]]". Moving to New York City in 1971, his [[Opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War|criticism of the Vietnam War]] resulted in a three-year deportation attempt by the [[Nixon administration]]. Lennon and Ono separated from 1973 to 1975, during which time he produced [[Harry Nilsson]]'s album ''[[Pussy Cats]]''. He also had chart-topping collaborations with [[Elton John]] ("[[Whatever Gets You thru the Night]]") and [[David Bowie]] ("[[Fame (David Bowie song)|Fame]]"). Following a five-year hiatus, Lennon returned to music in 1980 with the Ono collaboration ''[[Double Fantasy]]''. He was [[Murder of John Lennon|murdered]] by
As a performer, writer or co-writer, Lennon had 25 number-one singles in the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] chart. ''Double Fantasy'', his second-best-selling non-Beatles album, won the 1981 [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year]].<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web |url=https://www.grammy.com/awards/24th-annual-grammy-awards |title=24th Annual GRAMMY Awards | GRAMMY.com |website=www.grammy.com}}</ref> That year, he won the [[Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music]]. In 2002, Lennon was voted eighth in a [[BBC]] history poll of the ''[[100 Greatest Britons]]''. ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' ranked him the fifth-greatest singer and 38th [[Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time|greatest artist of all time]]. He was inducted into the [[Songwriters Hall of Fame]] (in 1997) and the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] (twice, as a member of the Beatles in 1988 and as a solo artist in 1994).
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McCartney said that Aunt Mimi "was very aware that John's friends were lower class", and would often patronise him when he arrived to visit Lennon.{{sfn|Miles|1997|p=44}} According to McCartney's brother [[Mike McGear|Mike]], their father similarly disapproved of Lennon, declaring that Lennon would get his son "into trouble".{{sfn|Miles|1997|p=32}} McCartney's father nevertheless allowed the fledgling band to rehearse in the family's front room at [[20 Forthlin Road|20{{nbsp}}Forthlin Road]].{{sfn|Miles|1997|pp=38–39}}{{sfn|Lennon|2005|p=47}} During this time Lennon wrote his first song, "[[Hello Little Girl]]", which became a UK top 10 hit for [[the Fourmost]] in 1963.{{sfn|Harry|2000b|pp=337–338}}
[[File:John Lennon at the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Lennon in 1964 at [[The Ed Sullivan Show]]]]▼
McCartney recommended that his friend [[George Harrison]] become the lead guitarist.{{sfn|Miles|1997|pp=47, 50}} Lennon thought that Harrison, then 14 years old, was too young. McCartney engineered an audition on the upper deck of a Liverpool bus, where Harrison played "[[Raunchy (instrumental)|Raunchy]]" for Lennon and was asked to join.{{sfn|Miles|1997|p=47}} [[Stuart Sutcliffe]], Lennon's friend from art school, later joined as bassist.{{sfn|Lennon|2005|p=64}} Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Sutcliffe became "The Beatles" in early 1960. In August that year, the Beatles were engaged for a 48-night [[The Beatles in Hamburg|residency in Hamburg]], in West Germany, and were desperately in need of a drummer. They asked [[Pete Best]] to join them.{{sfn|Miles|1997|p=57}} Lennon's aunt, horrified when he told her about the trip, pleaded with Lennon to continue his art studies instead.{{sfn|Lennon|2005|p=53}} After the first Hamburg residency, the band accepted another in April 1961, and a third in April 1962. As with the other band members, Lennon was introduced to [[Preludin]] while in Hamburg,{{sfn|Miles|1997|pp=66–67}} and regularly took the drug as a stimulant during their long, overnight performances.{{sfn|Lennon|2005|p=57}}▼
▲McCartney recommended that his friend [[George Harrison]] become the lead guitarist.{{sfn|Miles|1997|pp=47, 50}} Lennon thought that Harrison, then 14 years old, was too young. McCartney engineered an audition on the upper deck of a Liverpool bus, where Harrison played "[[Raunchy (instrumental)|Raunchy]]" for Lennon and was asked to join.{{sfn|Miles|1997|p=47}} [[Stuart Sutcliffe]], Lennon's friend from art school, later joined as bassist.{{sfn|Lennon|2005|p=64}} Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Sutcliffe became "The Beatles" in early 1960. In August that year, the Beatles were engaged for a 48-night [[The Beatles in Hamburg|residency in Hamburg]], in West Germany, and were desperately in need of a drummer. They asked [[Pete Best]] to join them.{{sfn|Miles|1997|p=57}} Lennon's aunt, horrified when he told her about the trip, pleaded with Lennon to continue his art studies instead.{{sfn|Lennon|2005|p=53}} After the first Hamburg residency, the band accepted another in April 1961, and a third in April 1962. As with the other band members, Lennon was introduced to [[Preludin]] while in Hamburg,{{sfn|Miles|1997|pp=66–67}} and regularly took the drug as a stimulant during their long, overnight performances.{{sfn|Lennon|2005|p=57}}
▲[[File:John Lennon at the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 (cropped).jpg|thumb|242x242px|Lennon in 1964
[[Brian Epstein]] managed the Beatles from 1962 until his death in 1967. He had no previous experience managing artists, but he had a strong influence on the group's dress code and attitude on stage.{{sfn|The Beatles|2000|p=67}} Lennon initially resisted his attempts to encourage the band to present a professional appearance, but eventually complied, saying "I'll wear a bloody balloon if somebody's going to pay me."{{sfn|Frankel|2007}} McCartney took over on bass after Sutcliffe decided to stay in Hamburg, and Best was replaced with drummer [[Ringo Starr]]; this completed the four-piece line-up that would remain until the group's break-up in 1970. The band's first single, "[[Love Me Do]]", was released in October 1962 and reached No. 17 on the British charts. They recorded their debut album, ''[[Please Please Me]]'', in under 10 hours on 11 February 1963,{{sfn|Harry|2000b|p=721}} a day when Lennon was suffering the effects of a cold,{{sfn|Lewisohn |1988|pp=24–26: "Twist and Shout, which had to be recorded last because John Lennon had a particularly bad cold"}} which is evident in the vocal on the last song to be recorded that day, "[[Twist and Shout]]".{{sfn|Spitz|2005|p=376: "He had been struggling all day to reach notes, but this was different, this hurt"}} The Lennon–McCartney songwriting partnership yielded eight of its fourteen tracks. With a few exceptions, one being the album title itself, Lennon had yet to bring his love of wordplay to bear on his song lyrics, saying: "We were just writing songs{{nbsp}}... pop songs with no more thought of them than that – to create a sound. And the words were almost irrelevant".{{sfn|Harry|2000b|p=721}} In a 1987 interview, McCartney said that the other Beatles idolised Lennon: "He was like our own little Elvis{{nbsp}}... We all looked up to John. He was older and he was very much the leader; he was the quickest wit and the smartest."{{sfn|Doggett|2010|p=33}}
The Beatles achieved mainstream success in the UK early in 1963. Lennon was on tour when his first son, [[Julian Lennon|Julian]], was born in April. During their [[Royal Variety Show]] performance, which was attended by the Queen Mother and other British royalty, Lennon poked fun at the audience: "For our next song, I'd like to ask for your help. For the people in the cheaper seats, clap your hands{{nbsp}}... and the rest of you, if you'll just rattle your jewellery."{{sfn|Shennan|2007}} After a year of [[Beatlemania in the United Kingdom|Beatlemania in the UK]], the group's historic February 1964 US debut appearance on ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]'' marked their breakthrough to international stardom. A two-year period of constant touring, filmmaking, and songwriting followed, during which Lennon wrote two books, ''[[In His Own Write]]'' and ''[[A Spaniard in the Works]]''.{{sfn|Coleman|1984a|pp=239–240}} The Beatles received recognition from the British establishment when they were appointed [[Order of the British Empire|Members of the Order of the British Empire]] (MBE) in the [[1965 Birthday Honours|1965 Queen's Birthday Honours]].{{sfn|London Gazette|1965|pp=5487–5489}}
[[File:Paul, George & John.png|thumb|McCartney, Harrison and Lennon, 1964]]Lennon grew concerned that fans who attended Beatles concerts were unable to hear the music above the screaming of fans, and that the band's musicianship was beginning to suffer as a result.{{sfn|Coleman|1984a|p=288}} Lennon's "[[Help! (song)|Help!]]" expressed his own feelings in 1965: "I ''meant'' it{{nbsp}}... It was me singing 'help{{'"}}.{{sfn|Gould|2008|p=268}} He had put on weight (he would later refer to this as his "Fat Elvis" period),{{sfn|Lawrence|2005|p=62}} and felt he was subconsciously seeking change.{{sfn|The Beatles|2000|p=171}} In March that year he and Harrison were unknowingly introduced to [[LSD]] when a dentist, hosting a dinner party attended by the two musicians and their wives, spiked the guests' coffee with the drug.{{sfn|Rodriguez|2012|pp=51–52}} When they wanted to leave, their host revealed what they had taken, and strongly advised them not to leave the house because of the likely effects. Later, in a lift at a nightclub, they all believed it was on fire; Lennon recalled: "We were all screaming{{nbsp}}... hot and hysterical."{{sfn|Harry|2000b|p=570}}
{{Anchor|BiggerThanJesus}} In March 1966, during an interview with ''Evening Standard'' reporter [[Maureen Cleave]], Lennon remarked, "Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink{{nbsp}}... We're more popular than Jesus now – I don't know which will go first, rock and roll or Christianity."{{sfn|Cleave|2007}} The comment went virtually unnoticed in England but caused [[More popular than Jesus|great offence in the US]] when quoted by a magazine there five months later. The furore that followed, which included the burning of Beatles records, [[Ku Klux Klan]] activity and threats against Lennon, contributed to the band's decision to stop touring.{{sfn|Gould|2008|pp=5–6, 249, 281, 347}}
===Studio years, break-up and solo work: 1966–1970===
[[File:John Lennon passport photo (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|Lennon in 1967
After the band's final concert on 29 August 1966, Lennon filmed the anti-war black comedy ''[[How I Won the War]]'' – his only appearance in a non-Beatles feature film – before rejoining his bandmates for an extended period of recording, beginning in November.{{sfn|Hoppa|2010}} Lennon had increased his use of LSD{{sfn|Gould|2008|p=319}} and, according to author [[Ian MacDonald]], his continuous use of the drug in 1967 brought him "close to [[Egolessness|erasing his identity]]".{{sfn|MacDonald|2005|p=281}} The year 1967 saw the release of "[[Strawberry Fields Forever]]", hailed by ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine for its "astonishing inventiveness",{{sfn|Time|1967}} and the group's landmark album ''[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]'', which revealed lyrics by Lennon that contrasted strongly with the simple love songs of the group's early years.{{sfn|Gould|2008|pp=399–400}}
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[[File:John Lennon en echtgenote Yoko Ono vertrekken van Schiphol naar Wenen in de vert, Bestanddeelnr 922-2496 (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Yoko Ono]] and Lennon in March 1969]]
By late 1968, Lennon's increased drug use and growing preoccupation with Ono, combined with the Beatles' inability to agree on how the company should be run, left Apple in need of professional management. Lennon asked [[Lord Beeching]] to take on the role but he declined, advising Lennon to go back to making records. Lennon was approached by [[Allen Klein]], who had managed [[the Rolling Stones]] and other bands during the [[British Invasion]]. In early 1969, Klein was appointed as Apple's chief executive by Lennon, Harrison and Starr,{{sfn|TelegraphKlein|2010}} but McCartney never signed the management contract.{{sfn|Miles|1997|p=549: "Paul never did sign the management contract"}}
Lennon and Ono were married on 20 March 1969 and soon released a series of 14 [[lithograph]]s called "Bag One" depicting scenes from their honeymoon,{{sfn|Fawcett|1976|p=185}} eight of which were deemed indecent and most of which were banned and confiscated.{{sfn|Coleman|1984a|p=279}} Lennon's creative focus continued to move beyond the Beatles, and between 1968 and 1969 he and Ono recorded three albums of experimental music together: ''[[Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins]]''{{sfn|Coleman|1984a|pp=48–49}} (known more for its cover than for its music), ''[[Unfinished Music No. 2: Life with the Lions]]'' and ''[[Wedding Album]]''. In 1969, they formed the [[Plastic Ono Band]], releasing ''[[Live Peace in Toronto 1969]]''. Between 1969 and 1970, Lennon released the singles "Give Peace a Chance", which was widely adopted as an anti-[[Vietnam War]] anthem,{{sfn|Perone|2001|pp=57–58}} "[[Cold Turkey]]", which documented his withdrawal symptoms after he became addicted to [[heroin]],{{sfn|Harry|2000b|pp=160–161}} and "[[Instant Karma!]]".
{{listen|type=music|filename=Give Peace a Chance.ogg|title=Give Peace a Chance|description=Sample of "[[Give Peace a Chance]]", recorded in Montreal in 1969 during Lennon and Ono's second bed-in. As described by biographer [[Bill Harry]], Lennon wanted to "write a peace anthem that would take over from the song '[[We Shall Overcome]]' – and he succeeded{{nbsp}}... it became the main anti-[[Vietnam War|Vietnam]] protest song."{{sfn|Harry|2000b|pp=276–278}}|pos=right}}
In protest at Britain's involvement in "the Nigeria-Biafra thing"<ref>{{cite news |date=27 October 2016 |title=John Lennon MBE refusal letter valued at £60k |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-37787297 |newspaper=[[BBC News]] |location=Liverpool |access-date=27 October 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161027122505/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-37787297 |archive-date=27 October 2016}}</ref> (namely, the [[Nigerian Civil War]]),{{sfn|Miles|2001|p=360}} its support of America in the Vietnam War and (perhaps jokingly) against "Cold Turkey" slipping down the charts,<ref name=MBEreturn>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturenews/4128022/MBE-medal-that-John-Lennon-rejected-unearthed-in-royal-vault.html |title=Beatles fans call for return of MBE medal rejected by John Lennon |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=2 August 2013 |access-date=2 August 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215005411/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturenews/4128022/MBE-medal-that-John-Lennon-rejected-unearthed-in-royal-vault.html |archive-date=15 December 2013}}</ref> Lennon returned his [[Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire|MBE]] medal to the Queen. This gesture had no effect on his MBE status, which could be renounced but ultimately only the Sovereign has the power to annul the original award.<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 September 2021 |title=Having honours taken away (forfeiture) |url=https://www.gov.uk/guidance/having-honours-taken-away-forfeiture |access-date=10 January 2024 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}}</ref>{{sfn|Harry|2000b|pp=615–617}} The medal, together with Lennon's letter, is held at the [[Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood]].<ref
Lennon left the Beatles on 20 September 1969,{{sfn|Norman|2008|pp=622–624}} but agreed not to inform the media while the group renegotiated their recording contract. He was outraged that McCartney publicised his own departure on releasing [[McCartney (album)|his debut solo album]] in April 1970. Lennon's reaction was, "Jesus Christ! He gets all the credit for it!"{{sfn|Spitz|2005|pp=853–54}} He later wrote, "I started the band. I disbanded it. It's as simple as that."{{sfn|Loker|2009|p=348}} In a December 1970 interview with [[Jann Wenner]] of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine, he revealed his bitterness towards McCartney, saying, "I was a fool not to do what Paul did, which was use it to sell a record."{{sfn|Wenner|2000|p=32}} Lennon also spoke of the hostility he perceived the other members had towards Ono, and of how he, Harrison and Starr "got fed up with being sidemen for Paul ... After Brian Epstein died we collapsed. Paul took over and supposedly led us. But what is leading us when we went round in circles?"{{sfn|Wenner|2000|p=24}}
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{{Listen|type=music|filename=Imagine.ogg|title="Imagine"|description=Sample of "[[Imagine (John Lennon song)|Imagine]]", Lennon's most widely known post-Beatles song.{{sfn|Harry|2000b|p=382}} Like "Give Peace a Chance", the song became an anti-war anthem, but its lyrics offended religious groups. Lennon's explanation was: "If you can imagine a world at peace, with no denominations of religion – not without religion, but without this 'my god is bigger than your god' thing – then it can be true."{{sfn|Harry|2000b|pp=382–383}} }}
Eager for a major commercial success, Lennon adopted a more accessible sound for his next album, ''[[Imagine (John Lennon album)|Imagine]]'' (1971).{{sfn|Schaffner|1978|p=146}} ''Rolling Stone'' reported that "it contains a substantial portion of good music" but warned of the possibility that "his posturings will soon seem not merely dull but irrelevant".{{sfn|Gerson|1971}} [[Imagine (John Lennon song)|The album's title track]] later became an anthem for anti-war movements,{{sfn|Vigilla|2005}} while the song "[[How Do You Sleep? (John Lennon song)|How Do You Sleep?]]" was a musical attack on McCartney in response to lyrics on ''[[Ram (album)|Ram]]'' that Lennon felt, and McCartney later confirmed,{{sfn|Goodman|1984}} were directed at him and Ono.{{sfn|Harry|2000b|pp=354–356}}{{refn|group=nb|Lennon softened his stance in the mid-1970s, however, and said he had written "How Do You Sleep?" about himself.{{sfn|Harry|2000b|pp=354–356}} In 1980, he said that rather than the song representing a "terrible vicious horrible vendetta" against McCartney, "I used my resentment and withdrawing from Paul and the Beatles, and the relationship with Paul, to write 'How Do You Sleep'. I don't really go 'round with those thoughts in my head all the time."{{sfn|Peebles|1981|p=44}}}} In "[[Jealous Guy]]", Lennon addressed his demeaning treatment of women, acknowledging that his past
In gratitude for his guitar contributions to ''Imagine'', Lennon initially agreed to perform at Harrison's [[Concert for Bangladesh]] benefit shows in New York.{{sfn|Rodriguez|2010|pp=48–49}} Harrison refused to allow Ono to participate at the concerts, however, which resulted in the couple having a heated argument and Lennon pulling out of the event.{{sfn|Badman|2001|p=44}}
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===Hiatus and return: 1975–1980===
[[File:Lennon's Green Card.jpg|thumb|Lennon's [[green card]], which allowed him to live and work in the United States]]
[[Sean Lennon]], Lennon's only child with Ono, was born on 9 October 1975 (Lennon's thirty-fifth birthday), after which Lennon took on the role of househusband. He formally announced his break from music in Tokyo in 1977, saying, "we have basically decided, without any great decision, to be with our baby as much as we can until we feel we can take time off to indulge ourselves in creating things outside of the family."{{sfn|Bennahum|1991|p=87}} During his career break he created several series of drawings, and drafted a book containing a mix of autobiographical material and what he termed "mad stuff",{{sfn|Harry|2000b|p=814}} all of which would be published posthumously. Lennon emerged from his hiatus in October 1980, when he released the single "[[(Just Like) Starting Over]]". In November, he and Ono released the album ''[[Double Fantasy]]'', which included songs Lennon had written in [[Bermuda]]. In June, Lennon chartered a 43-foot sailboat and embarked on a sailing trip to Bermuda. En route, he and the crew encountered a storm, rendering everyone on board seasick, except Lennon, who took control and sailed the boat through the storm. This experience re-invigorated him and his creative muse. He spent three weeks in Bermuda in a home called Fairylands writing and refining the tracks for the upcoming album.{{sfn|BBC News|2006b}}<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/lennon-article-circa-1980-double-fantasy.76587/ |title=Lennon article (circa 1980/ Double Fantasy) |website=Steve Hoffman Music Forums|access-date=29 August 2020|archive-date=2 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802170250/https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/lennon-article-circa-1980-double-fantasy.76587/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/john-lennon-and-sons-double-fantasy-trip-8629345.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220613/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/john-lennon-and-sons-double-fantasy-trip-8629345.html |archive-date=13 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=John Lennon and son's double-fantasy trip |date=24 May 2013 |website=The Independent}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20120622/NEWS/706219892 |title=Yoko Ono thanks Bermuda for tribute to John Lennon | The Royal Gazette:Bermuda News |first=Scott |last=Neil |website=The Royal Gazette |date=22 June 2012 |access-date=21 February 2020|archive-date=21 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200221234123/http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20120622/NEWS/706219892|url-status=live}}</ref>
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===Brian Epstein===
[[File:Aankomst Brian Epstein (manager Beatles) op Schiphol (Grand Gala du Disque 1965), Bestanddeelnr 918-2516 ShiftN.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Brian Epstein]] in 1965]]
The Beatles were performing at Liverpool's [[The Cavern Club|Cavern Club]] in November 1961 when they were introduced to [[Brian Epstein]] after a midday concert. Epstein was homosexual and [[closeted]], and according to biographer [[Philip Norman (author)|Philip Norman]], one of Epstein's reasons for wanting to manage the group was that he was attracted to Lennon. Almost as soon as Julian was born, Lennon went on holiday to Spain with Epstein, which led to speculation about their relationship. When he was later questioned about it, Lennon said, "Well, it was almost a love affair, but not quite. It was never consummated. But it was a pretty intense relationship. It was my first experience with a homosexual that I was conscious was homosexual. We used to sit in a café in [[Torremolinos]] looking at all the boys and I'd say, 'Do you like that one? Do you like this one?' I was rather enjoying the experience, thinking like a writer all the time: I am experiencing this."{{sfn|Harry|2000a|p=232}} Soon after their return from Spain, at McCartney's twenty-first birthday party in June 1963, Lennon physically attacked Cavern Club master of ceremonies [[Bob Wooler]] for saying "How was your honeymoon, John?" The MC, known for his wordplay and affectionate but cutting remarks, was making a joke,{{sfn|Harry|2000a|pp=1165, 1169}} but ten months had passed since Lennon's marriage, and the deferred honeymoon was still two months in the future.{{sfn|Lennon|2005|pp=94, 119–120}} Lennon was drunk.
Lennon delighted in mocking Epstein for his homosexuality and for the fact that he was Jewish.{{sfn|Harry|2000b|p=232}} When Epstein invited suggestions for the title of his autobiography, Lennon offered ''Queer Jew''; on learning of the eventual title, ''[[A Cellarful of Noise]]'', he parodied, "More like ''A Cellarful of Boys''".{{sfn|Coleman|1992|pp=298–299}} He demanded of a visitor to Epstein's flat, "Have you come to blackmail him? If not, you're the only bugger in London who hasn't."{{sfn|Harry|2000b|p=232}} During the recording of "[[Baby, You're a Rich Man]]", he sang altered choruses of "Baby, you're a rich fag Jew".{{sfn|Norman|2008|p=503}}{{sfn|MacDonald|2005|p=206}}
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===Sean Lennon===
[[File:Sean Lennon.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Sean Lennon]] at a [[Free Tibet]] event in 1998]]
[[Sean Lennon|Sean Ono Lennon]] was born on 9 October 1975, his father's 35th birthday. Ono had previously suffered three [[miscarriage]]s in her attempt to have a child with Lennon.
Following Sean's birth, Lennon's subsequent hiatus from the music industry would span five years. He had a photographer take pictures of Sean every day of his first year and created numerous drawings for him, which were posthumously published as ''Real Love: The Drawings for Sean''. Lennon later proudly declared, "He didn't come out of my belly but, by God, I made his bones, because I've attended to every meal, and to how he sleeps, and to the fact that he swims like a fish."{{sfn|Harry|2000b|p=535}}
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===Deportation attempt===
[[File:John Lennon en echtgenote Yoko Ono vertrekken van Schiphol naar Wenen in de vert, Bestanddeelnr 922-2494.jpg|thumb|Lennon with Ono in 1969]]<!-- Put in-line references into this article from books (with page numbers) or from web pages. -->
Following the impact of "Give Peace a Chance" and "[[Happy Xmas (War Is Over)]]" on the anti-war movement, the Nixon administration heard rumours of Lennon's involvement in a concert to be held in San Diego at the same time as the [[1972 Republican National Convention]]{{sfn|Wiener|1999|p=2}} and tried to have him deported. Nixon believed that Lennon's anti-war activities could cost him his reelection;{{sfn|BBC News|2000}} Republican Senator [[Strom Thurmond]] suggested in a February 1972 memo that "deportation would be a strategic counter-measure" against Lennon.{{sfn|Wiener|1990|p=225}} The next month the United States [[Immigration and Naturalization Service]] (INS) began deportation proceedings, arguing that his 1968 misdemeanour conviction for cannabis possession in London had made him ineligible for admission to the United States. Lennon spent the next {{frac|3|1|2}} years in and out of deportation hearings until 8 October 1975, when a court of appeals barred the deportation attempt, stating "the courts will not condone selective deportation based upon secret political grounds".{{sfn|Coleman|1992|pp=576–583}}{{sfn|BBC News|2006a}} While the legal battle continued, Lennon attended rallies and made television appearances. He and Ono co-hosted ''[[The Mike Douglas Show]]'' for a week in February 1972, introducing guests such as [[Jerry Rubin]] and [[Bobby Seale]] to mid-America.{{sfn|BBC News|2006c}} In 1972, [[Bob Dylan]] wrote a letter to the INS defending Lennon, stating:▼
▲Following the impact of "Give Peace a Chance" and "[[Happy Xmas (War Is Over)]]" on the anti-war movement, the Nixon administration heard rumours of Lennon's involvement in a concert to be held in San Diego at the same time as the [[Republican National Convention]]{{sfn|Wiener|1999|p=2}} and tried to have him deported. Nixon believed that Lennon's anti-war activities could cost him his reelection;{{sfn|BBC News|2000}} Republican Senator [[Strom Thurmond]] suggested in a February 1972 memo that "deportation would be a strategic counter-measure" against Lennon.{{sfn|Wiener|1990|p=225}} The next month the United States [[Immigration and Naturalization Service]] (INS) began deportation proceedings, arguing that his 1968 misdemeanour conviction for cannabis possession in London had made him ineligible for admission to the United States. Lennon spent the next {{frac|3|1|2}} years in and out of deportation hearings until 8 October 1975, when a court of appeals barred the deportation attempt, stating "the courts will not condone selective deportation based upon secret political grounds".{{sfn|Coleman|1992|pp=576–583}}{{sfn|BBC News|2006a}} While the legal battle continued, Lennon attended rallies and made television appearances. He and Ono co-hosted ''[[The Mike Douglas Show]]'' for a week in February 1972, introducing guests such as [[Jerry Rubin]] and [[Bobby Seale]] to mid-America.{{sfn|BBC News|2006c}} In 1972, [[Bob Dylan]] wrote a letter to the INS defending Lennon, stating:
<blockquote>John and Yoko add a great voice and drive to the country's so-called art institution. They inspire and transcend and stimulate and by doing so, only help others to see pure light and in doing that, put an end to this dull taste of petty commercialism which is being passed off as Artist Art by the overpowering mass media. Hurray for John and Yoko. Let them stay and live here and breathe. The country's got plenty of room and space. Let John and Yoko stay!<ref>Wiener, Jon. [http://www.thenation.com/print/blog/155298/bob-dylans-defense-john-lennon "Bob Dylan's defense of John Lennon".] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150502162859/http://www.thenation.com/print/blog/155298/bob-dylans-defense-john-lennon |date=2 May 2015}} ''[[The Nation]]'', 8 October 2010</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://lennonfbifiles.com/natl_comm_john_yoko/bob_dylan.html |title=Photo Copy of Bob Dylan's 1972 Letter to the INS in Defense of John Lennon |publisher=Lennonfbifiles.com |access-date=8 December 2010 |archive-date=13 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713200731/http://lennonfbifiles.com/natl_comm_john_yoko/bob_dylan.html |url-status=live}}</ref></blockquote>
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==Musicianship==
===Instruments
{{Further|John Lennon's musical instruments|List of the Beatles' instruments}}
[[File:John Lennon's Les Paul Jr..jpg|thumb|Lennon's [[Gibson Les Paul Junior|Les Paul Jr.]]]]
Lennon played a mouth organ during a bus journey to visit his cousin in Scotland
As his career progressed, he played a variety of electric guitars, predominantly the [[Rickenbacker 325]], [[Epiphone Casino]] and [[Gibson J-160E]], and, from the start of his solo career, the [[Gibson Les Paul Junior]].{{sfn|Prown and Newquist|2003|p=213}}{{sfn|Lawrence|2009|p=27}} ''[[Double Fantasy]]'' producer Jack Douglas claimed that since his Beatle days Lennon habitually tuned his D-string slightly flat, so his Aunt Mimi could tell which guitar was his on recordings.<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Steve |last=Appleford |title=Yoko Ono Discusses New John Lennon Documentary |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=6 August 2010 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/yoko-ono-discusses-new-john-lennon-documentary-20100806 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170614163611/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/yoko-ono-discusses-new-john-lennon-documentary-20100806#ixzz2myfyJ4yY |archive-date=14 June 2017}}</ref> Occasionally he played a six-string bass guitar, the [[Fender Bass VI]], providing bass on some Beatles numbers ("[[Back in the U.S.S.R.]]", "[[The Long and Winding Road]]", "[[Helter Skelter (song)|Helter Skelter"]]) that occupied McCartney with another instrument.{{sfn|Everett|1999|p=297}} His other instrument of choice was the piano, on which he composed many songs, including "Imagine", described as his best-known solo work.{{sfn|Blaney|2005|p=83}} His jamming on a piano with McCartney in 1963 led to the creation of the Beatles' first US number one, "[[I Want to Hold Your Hand]]".{{sfn|Everett|2001|p=200}} In 1964, he became one of the first British musicians to acquire a [[Mellotron]] keyboard, though it was not heard on a Beatles recording until "Strawberry Fields Forever" in 1967.{{sfn|Babiuk|2002|pp=164–165}}
In 2024, a guitar of
===Vocal style===
The British critic [[Nik Cohn]] observed of Lennon, "He owned one of the best pop voices ever, rasped and smashed and brooding, always fierce." Cohn wrote that Lennon, performing "[[Twist and Shout]]", would "rant his way into total incoherence, half rupture himself."<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ImX4CwAAQBAJ&pg=PT210 |title=The Beatles: Paperback Writer: 40 Years of Classic Writing|editor-last=Evans|editor-first=Mike |year=2014 |publisher=Plexus Publishing |isbn=978-0-8596-589-66|access-date=28 October 2020|archive-date=17 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230417075421/https://books.google.com/books?id=ImX4CwAAQBAJ&pg=PT210|url-status=live}}</ref> When the Beatles recorded the song, the final track during the mammoth one-day session that produced the band's 1963 debut album, ''[[Please Please Me]]'', Lennon's voice, already compromised by a cold, came close to giving out. Lennon said, "I couldn't sing the damn thing, I was just screaming."{{sfn|Wenner|2000|p=14}} In the words of biographer Barry Miles, "Lennon simply shredded his vocal cords in the interests of rock 'n' roll."{{sfn|Miles|2001|p=90}} The Beatles' producer, [[George Martin]], tells how Lennon "had an inborn dislike of his own voice which I could never understand. He was always saying to me: 'DO something with my voice!{{nbsp}} ... put something on it{{nbsp}}... Make it ''different''.{{'"}}{{sfn|Coleman|1992|pp=369–370}} Martin obliged, often using [[double tracking|double-tracking]] and other techniques.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Andrews |first=Travis |date=October 3, 2018 |title=He did the impossible and made John Lennon sound like the Dalai Lama |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2018/10/03/he-did-impossible-made-john-lennon-sound-like-dalai-lama/ |
As his Beatles era segued into his solo career, his singing voice found a widening range of expression. Biographer Chris Gregory writes of Lennon "tentatively beginning to expose his insecurities in a number of acoustic-led 'confessional' ballads, so beginning the process of 'public therapy' that will eventually culminate in the primal screams of '[[Cold Turkey]]' and the cathartic ''[[John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band]]''."{{sfn|Gregory|2007|p=75}} Music critic Robert Christgau called this Lennon's "greatest vocal performance{{nbsp}}... from scream to whine, is modulated electronically{{nbsp}}... echoed, filtered, and double tracked."{{sfn|Wiener|1990|p=143}} David Stuart Ryan described Lennon's vocal delivery as ranging from "extreme vulnerability, sensitivity and even naivety" to a hard "rasping" style.{{sfn|Ryan|1982|pp=118, 241}} Wiener too described contrasts, saying the singer's voice can be "at first subdued; soon it almost cracks with despair".{{sfn|Wiener|1990|p=35}} Music historian Ben Urish recalled hearing the Beatles' ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show|Ed Sullivan Show]]'' performance of "[[This Boy]]" played on the radio a few days after Lennon's murder: "As Lennon's vocals reached their peak{{nbsp}}... it hurt too much to hear him scream with such anguish and emotion. But it was my emotions I heard in his voice. Just like I always had."{{sfn|Urish|Bielen|2007|p=123}}
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In 1997, Yoko Ono and the [[Broadcast Music, Inc.|BMI]] Foundation established an annual music competition programme for songwriters of contemporary musical genres to honour John Lennon's memory and his large creative legacy.<ref name="BMI Foundation's John Lennon Scholarships">{{cite web |url=http://bmifoundation.org/programs/info/john_lennon_scholarships |title=BMI Foundation's John Lennon Scholarships|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170215191638/http://bmifoundation.org/programs/info/john_lennon_scholarships|archive-date=15 February 2017}}</ref> Over $400,000 have been given through BMI Foundation's ''John Lennon Scholarships'' to talented young musicians in the United States.<ref name="BMI Foundation's John Lennon Scholarships"/>
In a 2006 ''[[The Guardian|Guardian]]'' article, Jon Wiener wrote: "For young people in 1972, it was thrilling to see Lennon's courage in standing up to [US President] Nixon. That willingness to take risks with his career, and his life, is one reason why people still admire him today."{{sfn|Wiener|2006}} For music historians Urish and Bielen, Lennon's most significant effort was "the self-portraits ... in his songs [which] spoke to, for, and about, the human condition."{{sfn|Urish|Bielen|2007|pp=121–122}} Writing for ''[[El País]]'' in 2024, Amaia Odriozola described Lennon's [[Windsor glasses]] as being "known all over the world" and credited him with pioneering glasses as a "style statement" for musicians.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Odriozola |first1=Amaia |title=The Meaning of 'Lennon's Disobedient Glasses,' Which Are Beloved by Everyone from Denzel Washington to Harry Potter |url=https://english.elpais.com/culture/2024-03-03/the-meaning-of-lennons-disobedient-glasses-which-are-beloved-by-everyone-from-denzel-washington-to-harry-potter.html |website=[[El País]] |access-date=16 August 2024 |date=3 March 2024}}</ref>
[[File:JohnLennonPark Havana2.JPG|thumb|227x227px|[[John Lennon Park]] in [[Havana|Havana, Cuba]]]]
In 2013, [[Downtown Music Publishing]] signed a publishing administration agreement for the US with Lenono Music and Ono Music, home to the song catalogues of John Lennon and [[Yoko Ono]], respectively. Under the terms of the agreement, Downtown represents Lennon's solo works, including "[[Imagine (John Lennon song)|Imagine]]", "[[Instant Karma (We All Shine On)]]", "[[Power to the People (song)|Power to the People]]", "[[Happy Xmas (War Is Over)]]", "[[Jealous Guy]]", "[[(Just Like) Starting Over]]" and others.<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/legal-and-management/1531099/exclusive-john-lennon-yoko-ono-catalogs-sign-with |title=Exclusive: John Lennon, Yoko Ono Catalogs Sign With Downtown Music Publishing |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=26 July 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160924124615/http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/legal-and-management/1531099/exclusive-john-lennon-yoko-ono-catalogs-sign-with|archive-date=24 September 2016 |date=25 January 2013}}</ref>
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==Discography==
{{Main|John Lennon discography|List of songs recorded by John Lennon}}
{{See also|The Beatles albums discography|The Beatles singles discography}}
===Studio albums===
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|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 1970
! scope="row"| ''[[Fly (1970 film)|Fly]]''
| {{NA}}
| Short film, writer, producer, director
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* {{cite book |author=Blaney, John |year=2005 |title=John Lennon: Listen to this Book |publisher=Paper Jukebox |isbn=978-0-9544528-1-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZuCZR7MiDA0C&pg=PP1 |ref=CITEREFBlaney2005|access-date=16 November 2015|archive-date=17 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230417075420/https://books.google.com/books?id=ZuCZR7MiDA0C&pg=PP1|url-status=live}}
* {{cite news |author=Bright, Martin |work=The Guardian |location=UK |title=Lennon aided IRA, claims MI5 renegade |date=20 February 2000 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2000/feb/20/northernireland.martinbright|access-date=10 May 2010 |ref=CITEREFBright2000|archive-date=9 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221009134825/https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2000/feb/20/northernireland.martinbright|url-status=live}}
* {{cite news |author=Brooks, Richard |work=The Times |location=UK |title=Julian Lennon gives family peace a chance |date=13 June 2009 |url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article6492509.ece?token=null&offset=12&page=2|access-date=10 May 2010 |ref=CITEREFTimes Online2009|archive-date=17 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110617012950/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article6492509.ece?token=null&offset=12&page=2|url-status=
* {{cite news |author=Brooks, Xan |work=The Guardian |location=UK |title=Lennon too stoned to be a revolutionary |date=23 September 2005 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/sep/23/arts.thebeatles|access-date=22 December 2010 |ref=CITEREFBrooks2005|archive-date=29 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829174421/http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/sep/23/arts.thebeatles|url-status=live}}
* {{cite book |author=Brown, Peter |year=1983 |title=The Love You Make: An Insider's Story of The Beatles |publisher=[[McGraw Hill]] |isbn=978-0-07-008159-8 |ref=CITEREFBrown1983 |url=https://archive.org/details/loveyoumakein00brow|author-link=Peter Brown (music industry)}}
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[[Category:English pop guitarists]]
[[Category:English pop pianists]]
[[Category:English male pop singers]]
[[Category:English rock guitarists]]
[[Category:English rock pianists]]
[[Category:English rock keyboardists]]
[[Category:English pop keyboardists]]
[[Category:English male rock singers]]
[[Category:English pop rock singers]]
[[Category:English socialists]]
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[[Category:Male actors from Liverpool]]
[[Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Musicians from Liverpool]]
[[Category:Parlophone artists]]
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